In the Tales of Beetle and Bard that Hermione received from Dumbledore?

Question

In the Tales of Beetle and Bard that Hermione received from Dumbledore....there is a fable about three brothers.... Each brother asks or gets a special gift... that they think will make them more powerful.... sort of like the three little pigs... What is the tale... I forget.... and/or what is the significance of each gift/wish that each brother gets... One is like the wand... one, like the cloak.???... etc....Anything you can think of and can let me know would be appreciated....

Answer 1

The "Tale of the Three Brothers" is how the brothers conjured a bridge to cross a previously impassible lake only to have Death meet them halfway across the bridge. They'd cheated him out of their deaths as most died trying to cross the lake, but Death decided to reward them for their inginuity certain that their rewards might well lead them to dying anyway.

The eldest asked for the most powerful wand possible, wand with which he could win any battle. So Death took an elder branch and turned it into a wand. This lead to the elder brothers own death when he bragged about his powerful wand. The middle brother asked for an item to bring the dead back to the living. So Death took a stone and turned it into something that could ressurect the dead, though it didn't completely bring them back and they regretted being brought bak. The middle brother eventually went mad and took his own life because of this. The youngest brother was the smartest. He asked for a cloak that could make him invisible, one that's powers would never fade over time. So Death gave him his own cloak, which he wore for many years until he decided his time had finally come. He then gave his invisibility cloak to his son and welcomed Death as an old friend.

The tale is largely a fairy tale in the HP universe, but it is based on reality. The three brothers of the tale were the Peverell brothers, whom Dumbledore tells Harry were undoubtedly gifted wizards though most likely the element of Death giving them their gifts, which became known as the Deathly Hallows because of the tale, was made up. The Peverell brothers most likely created the Elder wand, the resurrection stone, and the invisibility cloak themselves.

Answer 2

so the three brothers are crossing deaths river. they knew magic so they made a bridge and crossed it. death was mad that he had been cheated out of three new victims (people usually drowned in the river), but he pretended to congratulate the three brothers and said he would grant each of them a wish.
so the first brother asked for an all powerfull wand, the second for a way to recall people from dead, the third for a way to go forth from that place without being followed by death.
I'm pretty sure the whole meaning of that is to not be power hungry (because the first brother was consumed by his lust for the wand and killed for it), to let the dead rest (the second was so sad he could not really bring back the one he loved and killed himself), and to be clever in what you wish for and not wish out of impulse (the third brother was never found by death because he was concealed by the cloak).